BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir accused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of breaking the electoral code of conduct by openly seeking out votes for the Awami League at a recent rally.
Fakhrul made the remarks on Thursday at Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, where he went to lay flowers at BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s memorial to mark the establishment of a new BNP committee in the Narayanganj district.
Fakhrul said: “She is the Awami League president as well as the incumbent prime minister, which means she enjoys all kinds of government privileges when holding a rally; and if she’s asking for votes at these rallies, that is undoubtedly a breach of the electoral code of conduct. However, we are not at all surprised at this because this is typical Awami League behaviour.”
He went on to say: “It has already been proven that the Awami League wants to keep opposition parties out of the polls and run a one-party election instead.
“However, they will not be able to have a one-sided election like they did in 2014 because the public will not allow it this time.”
When asked about fair play, he said: “There is no level playing field here. They destroyed that a long time ago. Ideally, all parties should be getting an equal and fair shot at the elections but the Awami League is using their power and position to get an unfair advantage.”
When asked whether the BNP is ready for the elections, he said: “BNP is always ready for a democratic and fair election.”
“Ever since Awami League came to power in 2008, they have used diversionary tactics to distract the public whenever a politically unfavourable issue comes to public attention. This is a very base practice, but by now the public are aware of it and will hold the Awami League accountable, we believe,” he said.
Regarding BNP’s election campaigning, Mirza Fakhrul Islam said: “Our collective politics is to be elected. We are always ready to campaign for any election. But, we will decide whether to take part after the Election Commission announces the next election.”
When asked about militancy, he said: “Unfortunately, there is a group in Bangladesh that has been working to establish a strong foothold for militants in the country but, as we have said before, the issue is not being investigated properly.
“So far, only a few among those arrested in connection with terrorism have been brought under the legal system, while most of them are being killed off without a fair trial. There is some mystery to this.
“Moreover, the government’s position on terrorism in Bangladesh is completely at odds with what international organisations are saying. Even statements made by the government’s various law enforcement agencies do not agree with one another.
“In order to completely stamp out terrorism from this country, we need to create a sense of national unity, and we have even offered to work together with the government on this but have not heard back, because they would rather use terrorism as a political tool.”
Also present at this event were Narayanganj district BNP chief Kazi Moniruzzaman, the district’s BNP Secretary General Mamum Mahmud, leaders of the newly formed Narayanganj BNP Committee and numerous members of supporting organisations.
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
